Background Four beneficiaries of LIFE Nature brown bear projects in Italy, Austria and Slovenia - the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park (PNAB), the University of Udine, WWF Austria and the Slovenia Forest Service - have joined forces in this initiative, managed and coordinated by the PNAB, which is based on the assumption that the geographic vicinity of brown bear populations (Ursus arctos) in the three countries could lead, in the near future, to a greater interaction among individuals of different nuclei. This eventuality could favour the development of a metapopulation and a consequent “reinforcement” of the different nuclei, increasing genetic variability. Such a potential development, which would represent an important contribution to the conservation of European biodiversity, depends on the ability to save existing migration routes and provide additional ones for bears from the Dinaric mountain range (Slovenia), home to the largest bear population, for the re-colonisation of the eastern Alps, in Italy and Austria. Long-term survival of the brown bear requires the active participation of local and national decision makers, which makes it necessary to deliver up-to-date and credible data on potential areas of expansion of the bear populations. Objectives The main action foreseen by the project is the development and implementation of a dynamic model to assess the presence of areas suitable for bears and to stimulate future dynamics of occupation of the same areas. This will be done by combining data and information on bear populations in three different countries (Italy, Austria and Slovenia) into one single system. To achieve this goal, the partners of this project will have to develop a common means of analysis of scientific data linked to environmental evaluation for the species and population dynamics. Once developed, the dynamic model will be presented to decision-makers in all three countries. Press conferences will be organised to introduce the model to the general public. The project also intends to encourage the exchange of experience among the administrations in the three different countries that are carrying out LIFE bear projects and to transfer the experience gathered to other European countries committed to the conservation of Ursus arctos. Results The project succeeded in developing an ad hoc dynamic model of the current and potential distribution of brown bears in the eastern Alps and surrounding areas. The map of potential distribution produced shows that suitable areas in which the species could be present are widely extended. The project calculates that the four nuclei of bears under consideration are likely to independently reach such a size that they are safe from extinction in the medium- and long-term. The analysis also indicates that a future brown bear metapopulation in southern Europe is a distinct possibility, but that brown bear conservation in southern Europe must be considered in a supranational context. Thanks to the project, it was possible to encourage the exchange of experiences among different LIFE project beneficiaries and, through the project final report, to pass such experiences to other European countries committed to the conservation of the brown bear. Another very important result of the project has been the gathering of project participants’ experiences on communication with the public, and the consequent identification of summary principles for communicating with local stakeholders in Slovenia, Austria and Italy. These findings were synthesized in the document Summary Principles of Communication for Brown Bear Conservation in the Alps, which outlines a series of “horizontal” principles enforceable everywhere. The outcomes of the project could indirectly be useful for the safeguarding of habitats of other animal and plant species in the areas of real or potential bear presence. The project also has a demonstration value for its successful cooperation among the four institutions involved in the project (a governmental body, a protected area, a university research institute and an NGO). Such a cooperation may represent the first step of a wider connection at governmental level, necessary for brown bear conservation on the Alps.